Lucky number seven…

The year was 2010. It doesn’t sound too long ago, but when you look at what has changed over this time, it seems almost a lightyear ago.

Sports fans out there may remember The Netherlands losing to Spain in the final of football’s World Cup. That’s the same Netherland’s who are currently ranked lower than giants such as Iran and Costa Rica at the time of writing. What a difference a few years can make.

Or maybe it’s the formation of the coalition government on May 11 between David Cameron’s Conservatives and the Nick Clegg led Liberal Democrats. For me, 2010 sticks in my mind for something that took place just a little before that monumental day in politics.

May 5, 2010 is a memorable day for me, as it marked the formation of Howe Consultancy Limited, meaning that come May 5 2017, we will have been in business for seven years. And what’s more, there’s been no seven year itch for me.

So to see just how much things can change in the time I’ve been in business, I thought I would look at what else has happened in the some 2557 days since then.

2010 Equality Act

Starting with the HR side of things and just five months after starting, one of the biggest changes in the employment law was introduced on October 1, 2010. The 2010 Equality Act made it illegal to discriminate in the workplace and wider society. Replacing single act laws including the Race Relations Act 1976 and the Sex Discrimination Act 1975, it made the law a lot clearer to understand when it comes to discrimination.

Blackberry Dominance

Stepping away from HR but sticking with business and the mobile phone of choice was the BlackBerry. Essentially designed to be a business phone, BlackBerry revolutionised the world of mobile communications and business on the move, thanks to its integrated QWERTY keyboard and tracker ball – both of which continues to be unrivalled to this day. The Canadian BlackBerry moniker has since lost a lot of the market share to Apple’s iPhone, Samsung’s line of Galaxy devices and other Android handsets.

BP and the oil spill

A HR and PR nightmare all rolled up into one oil-spill shaped thunderstorm, April 2010 saw an estimated 42,000 gallons of crude oil per hour at its peak gushing into the Gulf of Mexico after an explosion on a BP rig which killed 11 and injured 17. Almost 90 days passed before the leak was stemmed, but not before president Barack Obama (who was at this point in only his first year as the leader of the free world) condemned the oil giant’s handling of the situation.

So as we can see, a lot can change in seven years. One thing that hasn’t changed however is my dedication to ensuring your HR needs are taken care of as efficiently as possible.

At Howe Consultancy Limited, we are here to ensure the relationship between staff and company is a harmonious one. So no matter how many changes you or your employees go through in seven months, let alone years, that the bumps in the road are smoothed out as much as possible.

Have a browse of our website for more on what we can do for you, or if you’d prefer to pick up the phone and speak to us, you can call us on 07921 256 981.